What are differences between men and women?

By DR. JOYCE BROTHERS, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, May 15, 2007

We hear a lot about the differences between men and women, but how much do you really know about how we're alike and about some of the reasons that might be behind our differences? Here's a chance to find out.

1. When in love, both sexes have the same approach to anger and the same means of handling it.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

2. Aggression is thought of in the same way by both sexes.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

3. Women are less pleased with themselves when they look in the mirror than are their male counterparts.

5. Women, unlike men, don't really care about status and, when with each other, are not competitive.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

6. In terms of marital happiness, men and women usually want similar things.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

7. Men's hormone levels don't change or cycle, unlike women's.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

8. Males have much less need for intimacy than do females.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

ANSWERS:

1. FALSE. Men want to be able to express their anger without their wife reacting. When women get angry, they want their husband to get angry by talking about it, expressing it in words rather than simply ignoring their anger or walking out.

2. FALSE. Females see aggression as failure, a loss of self-control, while for men anger and aggression are a means of gaining control over those around them.

3. TRUE. When women look in the mirror, they immediately see and focus on what's wrong with their face or their body. Every defect looks larger than it is. Men are much more likely to be pleased by their image.

4. FALSE. Numerous studies indicate that it does exist and that females are more finely tuned than are males, and are much better at being able to accurately read emotional expressions on faces than are males. That's a large part of intuition.

5. FALSE: Let's not fool each other -- both men and women care about status, and both can be highly competitive. One difference, however, is the desire of status, and competitiveness is more evident in little boys' play and less likely to appear until much later in girls'.

6. TRUE. Basically, they want the same things, but it might be expressed in different ways. Men say they want more sex, while women are more apt to complain about being ignored, but both want to feel loved and be respected. It all comes down to that.

7. FALSE. Male testosterone levels tend to be lower in the spring and higher in the fall. They're subject to a daily cycle, with testosterone levels lowest around 8 p.m. and highest around 4 a.m.

8. FALSE. While it's true that males may be able to enjoy sex without any intimacy, both sexes need and want intimacy in meaningful relationships.

If you answered six of these eight questions correctly, you're better informed than most on this particular subject.